Sacrifice
by PurpleRanger101
Summary: The only way to save the others is to sacrifice himself. But what will happen to Casey while in the clutches of Dai Shi? And will the help of three old Rangers be enough to save him before Dai Shi silences him forever? Lily/Hunter. slightly not cannon
1. Willingness

"Jungle beast, spirit unleashed!" Casey and Dominic yelled. Instantly, the Rhino Ranger and the Red Ranger joined the Yellow, Blue and Wolf Ranger in the alley.

"Sorry we were late. Dom had to finish his pizza," Casey explained.

"No biggie. We almost got killed but it's not that big a deal. Now let's do this." RJ laughed.

Casey strode forward a few paces and pointed his finger at the monster facing them. This guy was tough. He was a new Overlord, one they didn't even know by name. But he was evil through and through - probably even worse than Grizzaka. "You've just entered your worst nightmare, buddy!" Casey yelled.

"Oh, yeah? I think that we are in your nightmare, Red Ranger." the Overlord chuckled.

The other four Rangers stepped up beside Casey. Casey looked at his teammates. "Ready, guys?" he paused and then screamed to the heavens, "With the Strength of the Tiger, Jungle Fury Red Ranger!" Instantly his teammates took up the cause. "With the Speed of the Cheetah, Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger! With the Stealth of the Jaguar, Jungle Fury Blue Ranger! With the Courage of the Wolf, Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger! With the Power of the Rhino, Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger!"

The Overlord snapped his fingers and a horde of Rinshi appeared all around him. Suddenly, all the Rinshi and the Overlord charged forward. The Rangers charged forward as well, each wielding their weapons. Dominic and Casey somersaulted over the heads of the Rinshi and started circling the Overlord. Lily flung her Jungle Mace into the horde of Rinshi and started taking them out one by one. RJ punched and kicked his enemies until they were falling all around him. Theo's Jungle Fan sliced into one Rinshi after another.

Casey pulled out the Shark Sabers and ducked under the Overlord's arm. He slashed in at the monster's stomach, but his other arm came around and grabbed the Sabers. With a sharp tug, the Overlord yanked the Sabers from Casey and threw them away from him. At the same time, his other arm slammed down on Casey's back, the blade on his forearm slicing into the Ranger's back.

Casey screamed and dropped to the ground. Dominic whirled in with his Rhino Blade and drew the attention of the Overlord while Casey crawled away. Casey dropped to the ground a few feet away, gasping for breath and feeling as if his back was on fire.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, four monsters flew out of the dark corners of the alley, so quickly that none of the Rangers spotted them. All they knew was that one second they were fighting for their lives and the next they were each being held by seven-foot monsters with curved horns and wings. Casey found himself being dragged off the ground and captured by the Overlord, his arms pinioned behind his back and one of the Overlord's hands clamped around his neck.

Lily struggled against the vice-like grip of the creature holding her. Theo stomped on the foot of the monster holding him but to no avail. Dominic tried to get his rhino blade into the monster but it was just ripped from him and thrown away. RJ just stood there, thinking that sooner or later they'd be able to get the drop on these creatures and get away.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, came Dai Shi. He laughed as he approached and made a quick chopping motion with his hands. Instantly, swords appeared in each of the monster's hands and were pressed to the throats of the Rangers.

Dom was struggling against the creature holding him. "Let me go! Let us all go!"

Dai Shi laughed. "Oh, I will, Rhino Ranger. I will let you all go – if the Red Ranger volunteers to stay in your place."

Lily shouted. "No! Casey, don't do it!"

Casey didn't speak. Theo was jerking his arms, trying to get them free but it wasn't working. Dai Shi stood there, looking at the struggling Rangers.

"What are you going to do to me if I surrender?" Casey finally asked quietly.

Theo blinked. "What? Casey, you can't be serious! You're not going to do this!"

Dai Shi laughed again. "I think you should be more concerned with what will happen if you don't surrender." He pointed to the beast holding Lily.

The beast chortled. "This is going to be fun." He raised his sword and, in one quick motion, sliced it down her arm. Lily screamed; the blade went deep, her suit wasn't able to deflect all of its effect.

"Lily!" Casey shouted, trying to get away from the Overlord. He cried out in pain and shock when the Overlord twisted his arms up behind them, wrenching them farther behind his back than they were ever meant to go.

Dai Shi stepped up to Casey and grabbed his chin in his right hand. Casey jerked his head left and right, attempting to free his face. Didn't work. Dai Shi reached up and tapped the point on Casey's helmet that would make him power down. Seconds later, the young man stood there, pinned in the Overlord's grasp, wearing not his Ranger suit but his blue jeans and red jacket. His eyes darted from one of his friends to the next.

When Dai Shi spoke, his voice was laced with satisfaction. "If you don't come with me, I will order my monsters to separate your friends' heads from their bodies. And you will have been the one who could have saved them. All you must do is come with me. They will be let go."

Dominic swore. "Bad idea, Case. There's no telling what will happen to you. We'll take our chances." Lily nodded and Theo agreed, "Yeah, Casey. Don't do it."

But Casey's eyes were determined. "I have to, guys. I won't trade your lives for mine." His eyes swiveled this way and that, looking for each of his comrades. He rested his gaze on Theo, the Jaguar Ranger. Theo held his stare for a moment and then the blue Ranger looked away. His gaze rested on Dominic, the Rhino Ranger. Dom smiled sadly; he knew that they couldn't expect Casey to do anything other than what he was doing now. RJ was next; his Master nodded slowly, proud of his student and knowing that Casey was making the choice of a leader. Finally, Casey's gaze landed on Lily, the Cheetah Ranger. Lily, the one who had always protected Casey. And Casey would do anything to save her and to deserve that protection. Casey flashed her an overly cocky grin. And then he turned back to face Dai Shi.

"Let them go. They go first and I will go with you willingly. But only if you release them first and they leave. And I won't go with you quietly until RJ calls me and tells me they're back at JKP. Or I'll kill myself before I go with you. Understood?" Casey glared at Dai Shi.

"Deal." Dai Shi made another motion to his monsters – but froze and fixed his stare back on Casey. "But if any of your friends try to save you instead of leaving, I'll have your neck snapped in an instant."

He finished his hand motion and RJ, Dominic, Lily and Theo were released. Dom took a step towards Dai Shi, his Rhino Blade raised. Casey yelled, "No, Dom! Dom, no!"

Dominic stopped and looked at Casey. He nodded and backed off. Casey continued, "Go back to JKP. And hurry. Please."

Theo was the first to turn and run off, followed by Dom and RJ. Lily stared at Casey for a minute and then, before Casey could say anything, she demorphed and smiled sadly. "Whatever happens, Casey, I'll never forget you. I'll do everything I can to free you. I pro-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Dai Shi took a step towards her. "Get out of here, Yellow Ranger. Or I'll kill the Tiger Ranger where he stands."

Lily backed up a pace and then turned and fled the same way the other three had gone. The next few minutes were tense before Casey's sunglasses beeped. Since they were still on his face, he didn't have to pull them out. But, his hands were still behind his back, making him unable to answer the call.

Dai Shi stepped up to Casey and tapped his glasses. RJ's voice came from the glasses. "We're back at JKP, Casey…good luck."

And with that, Dai Shi hauled back his fist and slammed it forward into Casey's unprotected face. The Red Ranger's head snapped sideways and his Solar Morpher flew off, landing in the grass a few feet away. Dai Shi's monsters disappeared and a few seconds later, the Overlord swooped Casey into his arms and disappeared with him. Dai Shi looked around, laughed evilly and disappeared after them.

**Author's Note: I hope you like this one-I'm pretty fond of the idea! Please, read and review!**


	2. Desperation

Dom slammed his fists down on the table. "Why'd we let him do it? Why didn't we stop him? We could have called on our animal spirits and hit that Overlord before he knew what was happening! There's no way to be sure that Casey will survive whatever Dai Shi is planning to do to him."

Lily laid a hand on Dom's shoulder. "We had to leave him. If our roles had been reversed, he would have made the choice to leave one of us behind to save the others. We have to be ready to save humanity."

"But what if Dai Shi kills Casey? We won't even know it." Theo pointed out. "We gotta do something."

RJ looked up from his chair. "There's nothing we can do. Casey is on his own now. But there is a way that we could keep tabs on where Casey is."

"How?" Lily asked, whirling around to look at her mentor.

"His glasses. There's a mini video cam in his Solar Morpher. We can access it through here," RJ fiddled with the TV for a few minutes and a picture soon flickered into view on the screen. It was a picture of grass, a daffodil and a small ant.

"That's exciting," Dom said sarcastically. "So where is he?"

"I don't think he's with his Morpher. Dom, go back to the alley and see if his morpher is there. And come right back here," RJ instructed. Dom nodded and headed out.

"What do you think is going to happen to him, RJ?" Theo asked.

"Worst case scenario, Dai Shi takes Casey's Tiger Spirit and gives it to one of his monsters. That would be like what happened with Whiger but if Dai Shi got all of Casey's Tiger Spirit, Casey would be killed. Best case scenario, Dai Shi just imprisons Casey and tries to destroy the rest of us." RJ looked at Theo and Lily.

"Do you really think Dai Shi would take Casey's Tiger Spirit?" Lily asked quietly. Her face was downcast.

"It's a very real possibility." RJ replied.

Theo smacked his fist into his palm. "We've got to help him. We have to get him out of there."

Just then, Dom returned, Casey's Morpher in his hand. "It was on the ground near where Casey was being held. And there was blood on the ground and the glasses. I think Casey's already in trouble."

Lily jumped from her seat. "We have to go to Dai Shi's temple and rescue him!"

RJ waved his hand. "No. Casey's path is destined. He's the leader, this is what he was meant to do. We can't do anything to save him now. His Tiger Spirit will have to protect him now."

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Casey woke to find himself in considerable pain. Fiery pain was shooting up and down his arms. He wanted to scream, but clenched his teeth, refusing to show outward signs of weakness. He tried to rearrange his arms and make the pain go away and that's when he figured out why he was in such pain.

He was strapped to the wall. Long chains hung from the ceiling and wrapped around his wrists, pulling his arms straight up over his head. He tugged, hoping to get a little more give from the chains but only succeeded in getting himself more pain. Craning his neck, he was able to look downward. His feet were chained to pegs in the wall. He sighed, the pain beginning to work its way down his back. There was no one else in the room.

The sound of a door opening drew Casey's attention. Dai Shi stepped through the door, Camille right behind him and the Overlord behind her.

Casey tried to speak but his throat was dry and his vocal chords would not cooperate. Finally, he was able to croak out, "What…do you want with me?"

"Your Tiger Spirit." Dai Shi answered. He flicked a finger and the chains holding Casey's arms suddenly tightened, eliciting a groan of pain from the Red Ranger.

"What are you going to do with my Tiger?" Casey whispered. Sweat poured down his face, his features were scrunched up in pain.

"I am going to take your Tiger energy and give it to my newest warrior. He will defeat your fellow Rangers while you are stuck here, watching them die." Dai Shi cackled.

"No…you can't take my spirit. Without my Tiger, I will die!" Casey protested.

"I believe that is the point. Now, if you don't mind." Dai Shi turned and stared behind the Overlord. "Come forward."

A figure strode forward, a figure hooded and cloaked. The figure walked forwards until it was even with Dai Shi. Then, in one swift motion, he threw back the hood of his cloak and Casey gasped.

Standing there, looking him in the face, was himself. At least, it was a copy of Casey Rhodes that looked identical to the real one, right down to the Pai Zhuq uniform he was wearing. When he spoke, his voice had the same inflections as Casey's. "Hello there, fallen Ranger. This is going to be fun."

"What's going on?" Casey gasped. "What are you doing?"

"I should think it would be obvious," Dai Shi said. "I'm giving your Tiger Spirit to my friend Casey, here, so that the Rangers can have their Red Ranger back."

"No!" Casey yelled and struggled against the unrelenting chains, ignoring the pain in his arms. "I won't let you have my Spirit! I won't let you get to my team!"

"You don't have any say in the matter," the fake Casey said, a sinister smile on his face. Stepping forward, he laid his hand on Casey's chest. "Give me your Tiger."

Casey screamed, not caring how weak it might make him look, as his Tiger Spirit was sucked out of him. Just when he thought all was lost and he was going to lose all of his Spirit, the fake Casey (Casey2), stepped back.

"There, that will do for now. Enough to make me look weak." Casey2 smiled vindictively.

The Red Jungle Fury Ranger suddenly smiled with satisfaction. "They'll never believe you. You don't look as if you've been captured by Dai Shi or held prisoner. And how are you going to tell them you got away?"

"Don't trouble yourself with that. Just know that your friends are soon going to be toast." Casey2 turned and left the room.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Casey yelled. Fatigue washed through him and he knew that he had mere drops of Tiger Spirit left in him. Unless the copy came back and forcibly removed the rest of his Tiger Spirit, Casey would die slowly. There was no doubt of that…

**Author's Note: Please, please, please, read and review!! I don't like to write unless I get a lot of reviews!!!**


	3. Recovering

A sudden blaring of the alarm startled Lily out of her musings. She was the only one in the Loft-Theo, Dom and Fran were working in the pizza parlor and RJ was trying a new kind of pizza, Tiger Pizza. Lily jumped from her seat and ran over to the TVs. What she saw made her run for the stairs.

Pounding down the stairs, she started yelling as soon as she hit the top stair. "DOM!! THEO!! RJ!!"

Dom's face appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking thoroughly confused. "What's going on? Lily, what is it?"

Lily stopped on the stairs and said, "Casey." Then she turned and ran back upstairs, leaving Dom to get the other two and follow her.

When all four were in the Loft, Lily pointed to the screen. On the screen was live footage of the woods outside Dai Shi's temple. Running through the trees were two people. The one in the front was obviously Casey. The one behind him was Dai Shi's henchman, Camille.

"Let's go!" Dom yelled. He grabbed a vine and leapt through the hole leading to the outside. RJ, Theo and Lily were right behind him.

Not two minutes later, they were running through the woods towards Casey, who was running towards them, an expression of fear on his face. As they got closer, Lily could see the condition the Red Ranger was in. His jacket was ripped to shreds and his white t-shirt was ripped enough that Lily could see long, bloody gashes on his chest. Casey's hair was plastered to his forehead. Camille was right on his heels.

"Stop!" RJ yelled. He raised his morpher as he ran. Jumping in the air, he morphed as he flew and landed right in front of Camille. Theo, Lily and Dominic were right on his heels. They engaged Camille as Casey dropped to his knees behind them, completely spent. The fight was bloody but Camille was no match for three very angry Rangers. She only fought for a few minutes before employing her Chameleon powers and fading away. Lily turned and fell down to her knees next to Casey.

"Casey! Are you ok?" she asked, grabbing his shoulder. Casey stared at her face for a few minutes and then his eyes slid out of focus and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Dom and RJ lifted Casey up and carried him back to the Loft. When they got there, they laid him down in his hammock and stepped back.

RJ clapped his hands. "Okay, guys, let's go back to work. Casey'll wake up when he wakes up."

Theo and Dominic followed RJ from the room. Lily knelt quickly at his side. "Wake up, please, Casey. Come back to us…to me." Then she jumped to her feet and danced down the stairs, the spring back in her step.

As soon as they were gone, Casey2 sat up and pulled a small transmission device from his pocket. "I'm here, Dai Shi." was all he said before he crushed the device in his hand and got up from the hammock. He walked over to the TVs and fiddled with one of them.

Sudden noise on the stairs alerted him to someone approaching and he quickly got back into his hammock. RJ soon appeared at the top of the stairs and when he saw Casey2's eyes open, he walked over.

"Hey, Casey. How are you feeling?" RJ asked.

"Like I've been run over by your Wolf. So what have I missed?" Casey2 made a big show of trying to sit up and utterly failing. But since his wounds were just for show, he was putting on a great acting performance.

"Nothing much, just a lot of worrying about you. I started creating a new pizza, the Tiger Pizza. What's more important is this question…how did you get away from Dai Shi?" RJ pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I don't really remember. He took most of my Tiger Spirit and then he put me in a cell with just Camille to guard me. When she slid food under my door, I made a run for it. But she would have caught me if you guys hadn't come along. Thanks." Casey2 grinned.

RJ stood. "Well, we're glad to have you back. We'll have to go get your Tiger Spirit back again but that's the way we do it. Don't worry…it's going to be ok."

"Thanks, RJ." Casey2 closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm still mad at your Wolf for running me over," he joked. RJ laughed as he left the Loft.

As soon as he was gone, Casey2 started laughing. _This is going to be a piece of cake,_ he thought.

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Casey was crying. He hadn't cried since before he joined the Pai Zhuq Academy. He had watched, courtesy of a TV Dai Shi had installed in his cell, his fellow Rangers save his double. He couldn't believe that they would just accept that this was him-surely they weren't that alike. And he cried because he was worried about what might happen next. What might happen to Theo, to Dom, to RJ…but most of all, to Lily.

He began to struggle again but stopped when he heard someone coming to the door. The door slid open to reveal the Overlord, a long sword in his hands. The Overlord didn't say anything, just pressed a button on the wall. Casey cried out when the chains holding his hands to the ceiling began to slide over. He struggled but soon found himself stretched diagonally across the room. His feet were still attached to the wall and his hands were chained to the middle of the ceiling. The Overlord walked closer and raised his sword. Casey couldn't hold back a scream as the Overlord began to rake his sword up and down Casey's body, just hard enough to draw blood but not hard enough to kill him. But it definitely hurt…oh, yeah…it definitely hurt. That was the first time in his life when Casey wished he would die. All reason left his head and he just screamed…and screamed…and screamed…


	4. Theo: Gone

Casey2 finally got himself out of bed later that afternoon. He went down to the pizza parlor and looked around for Theo. _I'll take out the blue one first…and then the white one. Then the purple one and finally the yellow one._

"Theo? Dude, where are you?" he called.

"In here, Casey." the answer came from the dining room. Casey2 left the kitchen and went out into the dining room, where he found Theo serving pizzas.

Casey2 went up to the blue Ranger. "Theo, I need your help. I think I've located where the monster is who stole my Tiger spirit. I need your help to get it back."

Theo nodded. "Just me? We should go get Dom and RJ and Lily-" he turned towards the kitchen but Casey2 grabbed his shoulder.

"No. I think the two of us can handle it. Dom and RJ need to keep an eye out for that new Overlord and Lily's needed in the parlor. Besides, we'll need stealth more than speed, courage or power...and who knows stealth better than the Jaguar?" Casey2 smiled.

"Okay," Theo nodded, taking off his apron. Let's go."

Theo followed Casey2 out the front door and down the road. They started jogging and soon made it to the abandoned warehouses on the north side of town. Theo looked questioningly at Casey2, "Casey, you sure this is where that monster is?"

"Yeah, this is where he should be. Keep an eye out, ok, Theo?" Casey2 turned away and headed towards one of the warehouses.

A monster suddenly appeared out of nowhere, cackling loudly. "I'm right here, Rangers!"

Theo whirled around and Casey2 ran to join him, sidling up next to him. Quietly, he reached down and snuck Theo's Blue Solar Morpher out of his pocket. Theo didn't notice, so focused was he on the monster.

"Casey, without your Tiger spirit, you're vulnerable. Stay behind me. I think it's time I called the others," Theo said and reached into his pocket for his morpher. It wasn't there.

"What? Where's my Morpher?" Theo looked up at Casey2, who was twirling Theo' s Solar Morpher in his hand. "Wha-Casey, why do you have my morpher? I need that."

"No you don't." Casey2 smiled. "You're not going to need much of anything anymore. End of the line, blue boy."

"Casey…what's going on?" Theo whispered, his hands automatically curling into Kung Fu ready position.

"First of all…I'm not Casey. I'm an evil copy of your Tiger Ranger. Second…you're in deep trouble." Casey2's smile widened.

Theo didn't even have time to blink before the monster leaped towards him and slammed the broadside of a sword into Theo's head. The blue Ranger swayed on his feet, obviously fighting to stay conscious, but one more hit from the monster and the Jaguar Ranger crumpled to the ground.

"Get him. Take him to the cave. Oh, but first, injure me, buddy!" Casey2 held his hands out and the monster aimed a scanner thing at him. Seconds later, wounds erupted from his flesh and blood leaked down his back. The monster walked closer and ripped open Casey2's Pai Zhuq uniform jacket and cut some gashes in it. Then the monster grabbed Theo's body, slung him over his shoulder and ran off.

Casey2 picked up Theo's Morpher and put it on his face. Then he pressed the button that would connect him with the other Rangers.

RJ answered. "What's up, The-wait, Casey, why do you have Theo's Morpher?"

Casey2 made his voice hoarse. "We…were…attacked, RJ. I…need help…at the…warehouses…please…"

"We're on our way, Casey. Just hold on."

"Gotcha. Thanks, RJ." Casey2 terminated the link.

He dropped to the ground and when RJ, Lily and Dominic arrived a few minutes later, he was writhing on the ground, his hand on his chest. Lily ran over to him. "Casey! Are you okay?"

Casey2 moaned. "They…got Theo. Tried to…summon Tiger but…not enough spirit. I…couldn't…save him."

RJ was looking around. "Don't stress out, dude. We'll get him back. But for now, we've got to get you back to JKP. Dominic, help me get him up."

Dominic grabbed Casey2 under one arm and RJ slung his other arm over his shoulder.

_One down, three to go…_, Casey2 thought vindictively.


	5. Dom: Taken

Casey2 was sitting in his hammock when Dominic came up to the loft. "Hey, buddy. How's it going?" the Rhino Ranger asked, dropping to a sitting position on the floor.

"I keep thinking about Theo. I want to be out there looking for him. I want to make up for what happened." Casey2 folded his arms behind his head.

"What happened?" Dominic looked shocked.

"I couldn't help Theo! I tried calling on my Tiger Spirit again and again but nothing happened! And then, the monster just knocked Theo's Morpher from his hand before he could get it onto his face and then he started attacking us! And, Dom," Casey2 paused, "Theo was trying to protect me! We were both getting pummeled pretty badly but the monster kept attacking and attacking! I couldn't do anything when he took Theo. It's all my fault. I keep thinking that there was something there, at that warehouse that would have helped but I can't remember it. If I could just go back there…but there's no way I'm in any shape to get back out there yet."

Dominic stood up. "Dude, I'll go for you. Maybe I can find some kind of clue, something that will help us figure out where Theo went. If RJ asks where I went, just tell him I went to follow up on a hunch. I'll be back soon." He was gone as soon as he finished speaking.

Casey2 sat back. He fished in his pocket for something the monster had given him after he'd taken Theo. He pressed "connect" and seconds later, the monster's voice answered. "Yes."

"Rhino Ranger's on his way. Take him out quickly." Casey2 slid the device back in his pocket, got up and went over to RJ's chair. He sat down and tuned the monitors to watch only the Rhino Ranger. Then he sat back to watch Dom walk into a trap.

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Dom walked around the small square formed by the warehouses. He was staring at the ground, trying to see if he could spot anything that might lead him to Theo. A sound behind him made him whirl around, but there was no one there. He kept walking. Another sound came from his left, but there was no one there either.

_Either I'm losing it or I'm being tailed. Perhaps I had better ranger up, just to be safe,_ Dom decided. He pulled out his Rhino Morpher. But before he could use it, something happened that had never happened before.

He felt a slight pressure on his wrist and then his Rhino Morpher was wrested out of his grip! It went spinning away in the clutches of a monster the likes of which Dom had never seen before.

"Hey!" he yelled. "That's mine!"

"Looks like it's mine now, Rhino boy," the monster cackled. He raised the Rhino Morpher and held it tauntingly above his head. "You're in trouble now, Ranger."

The monster pushed a few buttons and suddenly, Casey's voice came from the Morpher. "Yeah, Dom? What is it?"

Dom started yelling, hoping his friend would hear him and would come to his aid. "Casey! I need help at the warehouse, some monster took my morpher! Hurry, Casey!"

"Huh. Actually, Dom, I'm kinda busy right now. I can't help you. Sorry." Casey2 was currently sitting in RJ's chair, eating some chips.

Dom was shocked. "But, Casey, I can't beat this guy on my own without my Morpher. I need your help!"

Back at JKP, Casey2 was grinning. Unbeknownst to him, Fran was coming up the stairs at that moment. When she heard the conversation going on, she paused on the stairs and listened closely.

Casey2 laughed evilly. "I'm not going to help you, Ranger. I'm not even Casey Rhodes-I'm an evil copy filled with his Tiger Spirit. It's only a matter of time before I take all of you out."

Fran gasped. Casey2 leapt from his chair and landed on the stairs in front of her, having heard her intake of breath. "And what are you doing? Eavesdropping? That's not polite, you know." He reached out and grabbed her throat. "I think you'll be coming with me."

In the square near the warehouses, Dominic was doing the best he could to get away. But every time he tried to go one way, the monster blocked his move. It was only a matter of time before the creep got in close and brought Dom's own morpher down on his head. Dominic cried out in pain and frustration but stayed on his feet.

"Spirit of-" Dom started to yell but was cut off mid-cry by the sudden overflow of darkness in his mind as the monster slammed a meaty fist into the side of his head and knocked the Rhino Ranger out cold.

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In Dai Shi's temple, Casey was watching all this unfold. He was back in his vertical position against the wall and his horror was growing with every second. _No, not Fran…not Dominic,_ he thought frantically. He'd long since given up struggling…now, he just waited for the moment when Dai Shi or his Overlord would make a mistake and he would escape.

The sudden scraping of the door made Casey cringe involuntarily. The Overlord was coming for another pain session. Casey's arms began to move and he was soon stretched diagonally across the room again.

The Overlord approached. "Today we are going to do something a little different." He walked up and gripped the front of Casey's thin t-shirt, which was already pretty much shredded, and ripped it from the Ranger's body. Casey cried out in pain as the shirt was yanked from his wounded body. The Overlord grinned in satisfaction. He raised his right hand and Casey saw that today, instead of a sword, the Overlord had a whip. Casey resolved to hold his pain inside but as soon as the first lash hit his already festering injuries, a bloodcurdling scream of torture erupted from his chest and filled the room. The Overlord simply laughed and whipped the Red Ranger again…and again…and again.

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"Dom's been gone a long time. And Fran. I wonder where they are?" Lily asked RJ as she rolled pizza dough.

"They'll turn up. Casey's upstairs, he'll alert us if anything's wrong. In the meantime, I think we might need some help. It's just the three of us with Casey's tiger spirit gone, he's in no condition to fight. I know a girl who I think works with a former Power Ranger; I think I'll call him in." RJ thought aloud.

"Other Rangers? I didn't know there were any other Rangers." Lily said, confused.

"Oh, yes." RJ looked at her, "There are plenty of Rangers. Many have given up their Ranger powers but many more hold onto them in the event that they were needed again sometime. The Ranger I'm thinking of is with the team called Dino Thunder. I grew up in a city called Reefside, before I joined Pai Zhuq and, growing up, I knew a girl named Hayley. Now she owns a café called Cyberspace Café. Last I heard, she was the technology expert for a team of Rangers based out of Reefside. Maybe I can get in touch with her. Won't hurt to try."

A sudden yell from upstairs caught their attention and they dropped what they were doing and took off up the stairs. When they got to the top, Casey2 was standing in front of the monitors, a terrified expression on his face.

"I was in the hammock when Dom called on his Morpher. I got up to answer but before I could, I saw on the screen, the same monster that took Theo swept in and slammed him on the back of the head! Then they took him away! There was nothing I could do-why is this happening? I'm supposed to be the leader, the one who protects my team and now everyone's getting captured!" Casey2 yelled.

"Calm down, Casey. We'll get Dom back. And Theo. You just rest up your Tiger Spirit." RJ reassured him. Casey2 went back to his hammock, smiling wickedly.

RJ looked at Lily. "I'll be back later. I'm going to go see if Dom's still near the warehouse. It's a possibility. You guys keep an eye out here."

Lily nodded and looked at where Casey2 lay. Saying nothing, she headed back downstairs to the parlor to see if she could find Fran.


	6. RJ: Captured

Casey wanted desperately to die. He had long since given up hope of escape. The only things that filled his mind were thoughts of pain and of his friends. He wanted to help his friends, let them know what was going on but he wanted most to die.

If one would look at our hero, our Red Tiger Ranger, they would sympathize with him in an instant. Lately, the Overlord had been getting more and more punishing. Let's start at the top of our hero. Casey's hair was always plastered to his head now; he was always sweating because the Overlord liked to keep the temperature in Casey's cell right at a very pleasant one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Casey's face was marred by a long gash that went from his left temple down to his chin. Blood would occasionally leak from this gash, but it wasn't his worst injury by far. With his shirt gone, Casey's wounded torso was easily seen. Raw strips of flesh hung from his chest but his back was crisscrossed with gashes, some beginning to scar over and some still bleeding freely. His legs were equally as bad. At first look, it was a wonder that he was alive at all.

He tried to sleep but the pain wouldn't let him. He was forced to stay awake and focus on the screen in front of him, the screen that showed him RJ, his mentor, approaching the warehouses where Theo and Dominic had been captured. Casey wished he could warn his Master to stay away but all he could do was watch what was unfolding…

RJ was being cautious. He walked slowly, carefully. He had his phone pressed to his ear and was trying to get in touch with Hayley.

"Cyberspace Café." a voice finally answered.

"Yes, yes! May I please speak with Hayley?" RJ asked excitedly.

"I'm sorry, she's out right now. May I ask who is calling?" the male voice on the other end asked.

"Who am I speaking to?" RJ asked suddenly. _Perhaps it's one of the Rangers…_ He had taken it upon himself over the years to gather a database on the different Ranger teams. So far, all he knew were the names of each Ranger in each team. He knew a little more about some teams and a lot less about others. For instance, he knew of the Mystic Force team but he didn't know which Ranger was which. Was Nick the Red Ranger or the Green? He didn't know.

"This is Trent." the man replied, clearly confused.

RJ nearly grinned. He knew the name Trent. Trent had been the White Drago Ranger. RJ had hoped that his information was correct and that the Ranger worked at Hayley's Café…and his gamble had paid off. Now he just had to convince this guy that he knew what he was talking about.

"Trent Fernandez. You are the White Drago Ranger, are you not?" RJ asked and then plowed on, not waiting for an answer. "Listen, my name is RJ. I own Jungle Karma Pizza and know Hayley. I'm also a Power Ranger. I'm the Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger and my team is being wiped out. We need more help and I thought Hayley might could convince her Ranger friends to help me."

"Well, look…how about I have her get back to you? I don't even know where most of the Rangers are…and we're kind of busy right now…" Trent kept talking but RJ wasn't listening anymore; he had a feeling he wasn't alone.

"Don't hang up, Trent. I need to check something out. Please, just hang on." RJ held the phone in his hand and looked around. There was someone else here. He could feel it.

And then he could feel nothing but pain as something struck him on the back of the head. He called on the strength of the wolf to keep him on his feet as he stumbled around in a circle to face his attacker.

"Where are my students?" RJ called. His gaze was wobbly and blackness was creeping at the edge of his vision.

"Three of your students are in my grasp already. Soon I will have their Master and then I will take the Cheetah." the monster that had taken Dominic and Theo stood looking at RJ, a broadsword in his hand.

"Three? No, we got Casey back. He escaped you, pal." RJ chuckled. He began to reach for his wolf morpher, trying to reach it before the monster got him.

The monster lunged forward and slammed the flat side of his sword against RJ's head. RJ collapsed to the ground but before he lost consciousness, he heard the monster say, "That's not your Casey…he's Dai Shi's."

RJ uttered a final, "Please," snapped his phone shut and faded out into darkness.

Trent Fernandez stood at the counter at Hayley's Cyberspace Café, staring at the phone in his hand. Something inside him told him that the guy on the phone had been telling the truth. Dropping the phone back on its charging stand, Trent ran from the Café.

He got to Dr. Oliver's lab ten minutes later and found Kira, Connor and Dr. Oliver there. When he ran in, everyone looked up at him in surprise.

"What's going on, Trent?" Kira asked, putting down her guitar.

"I think it's time to break out the Gems again." Trent said and quickly recounted all he had heard.

Dr. Oliver looked at Trent with surprise evident in his face. "Now? It's been over four years. A lot has changed. Are you guys even ready to fight still?" He threw a significant look at Kira but Connor, apparently oblivious, interrupted.

"Dr. O, have you ever even heard of these Jungle Fury Rangers?"

Tommy nodded. "They're the newest team of Rangers. I've been gathering information on them for the database. Their Red Ranger, Casey, is said to be the strongest ever. Each of them has an Animal Spirit which gives them power. Casey's is a Tiger, Lily, the Yellow Ranger, has the spirit of a Cheetah. Theo, the blue Ranger, has the spirit of a Jaguar. RJ, the Wolf Ranger, has the spirit of a Wolf and Dominic, the Rhino Ranger, has the spirit of a Rhino."

Trent spoke up. "I think they really need us, Dr. O. That monster said something about their red Ranger, Casey, not being one of them but being a Dai Shi's. I don't know what that means, but it sounded as if they had an evil Red Ranger copy in their base. And it sounded as if there was just one Ranger left to defend himself against this evil."

Tommy held up a hand. "Well, why would they have called us?"

"The guy said he knew Hayley. Dr. O, we gotta help them." Trent yelled.

"We can't all go. This would be the perfect ruse if someone were aiming to attack Reefside. Someone's gotta stay here." Tommy countered.

"Fine. I'll go alone." Trent declared.

"No, not alone. If this is a real threat, you won't be able to do it by yourself. Trent, you and Connor go. I'll see if I can get in touch with Ethan." Tommy decided.

"What? Dr. O, I'm going with them. If this is bad, they'll need all the help they can get." Kira waved her hand angrily.

Tommy looked at Trent and Trent looked at Kira, who stared back defiantly. Connor looked completely lost. Trent shook his head. "Nuh-uh, babe. You stay here; I don't want you to get hurt."

Wrong thing to say. Kira stood and pushed her finger into Trent's face. "Hurt? Get hurt? Pal, I can still kick your butt. I'm going. End of story."

Trent sighed. "Fine. But if you don't feel good, you sit out. Understand?"

Kira nodded and headed for the door. She paused only to grab her Dino morpher from the chest near the door. Connor and Trent were right on her heels.

_I hope this isn't a trick…_Dr. O thought as he watched three of his one-time students run out of the lab.


	7. Friendly Aid

Lily was the only one in the parlor, wiping tables. She was starting to get worried about RJ and Fran. Neither one had been in the pizza parlor in an hour. Fran had been gone even longer than that. _I hope they're not captured too…what chance would Casey and I have if we were the only two left and him without his Tiger?_

Since the pizza parlor was technically closed, she was a bit surprised when two young men and a young woman blew in the door a few minutes later. All three looked to be in their early twenties. The man in front was tall, with brown hair, wearing a red and white jacket and blue jeans. Flanking him were another man and woman. The woman had long dark-blonde hair, pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a blue jean skirt over black leggings and a yellow and black t-shirt. The other guy had jet-black hair and wore dark jeans with a black shirt. Over his black shirt was a white button-up dress shirt that was currently untucked and unbuttoned.

Lily walked over to them. "Sorry, guys, pizza parlor's closed. You'll have to come back later."

"Lily? Are you Lily?" the guy in red asked quietly.

"Yeah. Who are you?" she asked, her hand going automatically to the pocket of her apron, ready to haul out her Morpher if she needed to.

"I'm Connor. This is Trent," he pointed at the other guy, "and Kira," he jerked a thumb at the woman. "We're here to help you."

"Help me with what?" Lily asked. "Who _are_ you guys? What do you want?"

Trent pushed past Connor. "A guy named RJ called us, asking for our help. We are – we _were_ the Dino Thunder Rangers. I'm the Drago Ranger, Connor's the Tyranno Ranger and Kira's the Ptera Ranger. We are here to help you."

Lily rested her hands on her hips. "Oh, yeah? What did RJ tell you?"

Trent took a step closer to Lily. "He was on the phone with me when he was attacked. He was trying to get our help to help him and you find your missing Rangers since your Red Ranger, he said, isn't in any condition to fight. And then he was attacked. So here we are." Trent explained.

"Wait…RJ was attacked?" Lily interrupted. "But Casey's in the loft, he would have called me."

Connor stepped forward; apparently, Kira was content to let the other two speak. When Connor spoke, his voice was urgent. "That's one thing we need to tell you. At the end of the conversation, the monster said something about Casey being Dai Shi's Casey. We have no idea who or what this Dai Shi is – is this bad?"

Lily frowned. "Dai Shi is an evil Dragon Spirit that we are fighting right now. He's the one who captured Casey and who Casey got away from."

Now Kira spoke up. "That would be bad then if, say, your Red Ranger hadn't really gotten away but instead a copy of him was put in his place. Trust me – it happens." Kira smiled at Trent.

Lily shook her head. "Nuh-uh. I would have known. I would have known that it wasn't Casey."

Connor rested his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe not. Please, Lily, would you humor us and just go ask him point-blank if he is Casey? Ask him something only the real Casey would know. Please."

Lily looked at him for a long minute. Then she nodded curtly. "Fine."

She turned and headed up the stairs. Trent and Connor followed. "No way," Lily said, turning around. "He'll never tell me anything if people he doesn't know are up there. He won't answer a potentially secretive question if others are listening in."

Trent frowned. "We'll stay out of sight. We just want to be around in case things go sour."

Lily didn't say anything, just turned and trudged back up the stairs. Connor and Trent paused halfway up; Kira stayed in the kitchen.

"Casey? Casey, are you up here?" Lily called as she got closer.

His answer came from the direction of his hammock. "Yeah, Lil, I'm over here."

Lily made her way over to him and stood looking down at him. "Casey, RJ got captured today. He was out looking for Dom when the monster got him."

Casey2 actually fell out of his hammock. He clambered to his feet, his face aghast. "What? They got RJ too?!"

"Yeah. Casey…there's something I need to ask you." Lily hesitated. "Are you really Casey, Red Tiger Jungle Fury Ranger?"

Casey2 looked confused. "What do mean, am I really Casey? Of course I'm Casey! I have the Tiger Spirit – or at least I did. What are you playing at, Lil?"

Lily was convinced that this was Casey and the Dino Thunder Rangers were making a mountain out of a molehill but she asked him anyway, "Casey, remember when we fought Carnisour for the first time? And that monster of his that made everything all slippery? Tell me, what happened to you during that time? Who did you meet?" She knew that the incident with Josh and the kite had stuck in Casey's mind ever since; he should recall it with ease.

Instead, Casey just stood there. Finally, he dropped his head into his hands and whispered. "That's the one thing I regret, Lily. That's when I met Dominic and was such a jerk to him. I told him he was a goof. I never should have said that."

Lily looked at him. _This isn't Casey. It can't be…Casey wouldn't lie to me and tell me something happened that didn't._ Out loud, she said, "You're not Casey. Casey would have known that he met Josh at that time, not Dom. Who are you?"

Faster than she thought possible, Casey2 was at her side, his hands clenched around her throat, driving the air from her body. He whispered in her ear, "A copy of your Ranger who is so evil I have pretended to be your beloved Casey so that I could help Dai Shi destroy you pests once and for all…and it appears your time has come."

Lily gasped and frantically beat upon the double's chest, trying to make him release his grip but nothing happened and the only thing she could think about was the real Casey and what was happening to him right now.

The real Casey was once again struggling against his chains. He could see his double choking the life out of Lily and he was filled with a very real and very raw anger at this. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get loose. He'd have to hope that someone else was around to save the day…


	8. An Hour Left

But Lily didn't have to choke for long. Pounding feet were on the stairs and then Trent and Connor appeared on either side of Lily.

"Let her go," Trent growled. He reached out and grabbed Casey2's right arm while Connor grabbed his left. In one motion, they shoved Casey2 away from the Cheetah Ranger.

Lily stood there, gasping for breath and staring at Casey's double. "But _who_ are you?" she asked while massaging her throat.

A diabolical grin swept across Casey2's face. "I am the evil copy of your Tiger Ranger. I have stolen his Tiger Spirit and most of his life energy. I have helped to capture your Wolf Ranger, your Rhino Ranger and your Jaguar Ranger. Now it is left to you, Cheetah Ranger, to defend yourself. You are going to fail and I will capture you too."

"Not likely. We're taking you down, right now." Connor crossed his arms over his chest, his Dino Morpher clearly showing.

"I don't think so," Casey2 exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his little device. He cackled wildly and pressed a button, disappearing in a swirl of light.

He reappeared a few seconds later outside the real Casey's cell. Unlocking the door, he entered the tiny room. "Hello, Casey."

Casey jerked against his chains, his blood-smeared wrists sliding against the metal cuffs. "Leave my friends alone! Let those you've gotten go and stop chasing Lily! Leave them alone!"

Casey2 knotted his fingers into Casey's hair and yanked his head up until the Tiger Ranger was staring right at his double. "Your yellow ranger has found herself some friends but it won't be enough to save her or you. I'm going to take all the rest of your Tiger Spirit right now and most of your life energy as well."

He let go of Casey's hair and curled his fingers in so that they looked like claws. Then he drove them forward, stabbing into Casey's chest. Casey screamed, a long, bone-chilling wail that was filled with pain and fear and hatred. The double seemed to glow with red energy as Casey's Tiger Spirit was ripped fully from his body. Casey shook with spasms as his life energy was drained out of him. His scream intensified, if that was possible, and he threw his head back, staring wildly at the ceiling.

_I WANT TO DIE, I WANT TO DIE, I WANT TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_, he screamed in his head. As his scream went on and on, varying in pitch and intensity, he thought he saw his Tiger spirit in the air, howling in pain and reaching its paws back to him, trying to reach Casey.

After what seemed like forever, Casey2 jerked his hands from Casey's body. Blood gushed from the ten puncture wounds and Casey's head fell limp on his chest. He was surprised to find he wasn't dead. He struggled to raise his head and fix his bleary gaze on the evil clone.

Opening his mouth, he whispered, "Why…am…I…not…dead?"

"You will be within the hour. I have ninety percent of your life energy and nearly all of your Tiger Spirit. I have left you just enough Spirit to keep you alive for another hour. During that hour, you will feel the pain of your Tiger Spirit leaving you again and again. During that hour, you will feel more pain than you ever have before. And after that hour, you will die. Until then, you will watch as I destroy the Cheetah Ranger with a little help..."

Casey tried to force his limbs to move, to struggle to get free, but they wouldn't cooperate. Instead, they just hung limp as the double ran from the room.

Lily sat on the top step of the loft, her head in her hands. "So this could mean that Casey is still alive, right? But if he is and he doesn't have his Tiger Spirit, he could die very soon. We have to find him."

Connor sat beside her. "We don't know where he is. We don't know where to look for him. How are we going to find him?"

Trent sat on the step below with Kira, looking up at them. "And we gotta deal with this other creep. Who knows where he'll strike next?"

A sudden knocking sound suddenly came from the other side of the room. Kira leapt to her feet and strode over to the cabinet on the other side of the room from which the sound was coming. She cocked her right fist and yanked open the door with the other hand.

A trussed up Fran tumbled out of the cabinet. "Fran!" Lily cried, jumping up and running over to the tied and gagged employee.

Kira reached down and untied Fran's wrists and ankles. Lily knelt next to Fran's head and peeled off the duct tape from her mouth.

Fran gasped and grabbed Lily's shirt collar. "Lily! Casey…he's not Casey and he's evil and he's got RJ and he's got Dom and he's not Casey, Lily, and we gotta-"

Lily interrupted her. "Breathe, Fran. We know. We're working on finding him right now." She helped Fran sit up and guided her over to RJ's chair.

Fran had just sat down when the alarms went off. Lily turned on the monitors and saw Casey2 walking through downtown with three other teenagers. Fran gasped. "Lily, I think that's Dominic, RJ and Theo!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Five Minutes Earlier XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dai Shi and three hooded figures entered the cell where Dominic, Theo and RJ were sitting on the ground, their hands tied behind their backs. When Dai Shi entered, Dominic lunged towards him but only ended up falling on his face.

"What do you want with us, Dai Shi?" Theo asked.

"It's not the three of you I want. I want your Red Ranger destroyed and I must keep your Yellow Ranger and her friends occupied for an hour until he is dead. The only way to do that is to attack her with her own comrades' Animal Spirits. So I'm going to need your Spirits." Dai Shi said.

Theo scrambled backwards. "No. You can't have them." A hooded figure approached the Blue Ranger and Theo yelled, "Spirit of the-" Before he could finish calling upon his Jaguar Spirit, the figure slammed his hands on Theo's chest, tearing his Jaguar Spirit from him. Theo screamed as his Jaguar was torn away from him. Seconds later, the Blue Ranger lay on the floor, gasping for breath, feeling as if he had been drained of all power.

Dominic tried to lurch to his feet but didn't even get to his knees before the second figure was on him, ripping his Rhino Spirit from him. Dominic hollered, falling back to the ground. RJ was next to feel the pain of his Wolf Spirit forcibly taken from his body.

When the three hooded figures had taken their spirits, they stepped back and threw back their hoods. One looked like Dominic and now had Rhino Spirit. The second looked like Theo and now had his Jaguar Spirit. And the third looked like RJ and had Wolf courage.

"Now we will destroy your Yellow Ranger and her friends and there is nothing you can do about it!" Dai Shi roared as he strode from the room, his minions following behind him.

**Author's Note: I hope you like it, I wasn't sure about taking more animal spirits but it seemed like a good idea…we'll see! Please, read and review!**


	9. Vision

Connor, Kira, Trent and Lily raced towards the plaza where the evil copies were. While they ran, Trent had his cell phone out. They'd all decided that if the enemy now possessed the Animal Spirits of four Jungle Fury Rangers, they would need all the backup they could get.

Finally, Trent got ahold of who he was trying to reach. "Blake? Hey, man, what's up?" He put the phone on speaker and Lily heard an unfamiliar voice respond.

"Nothing much, Trent, what's going on with you?"

Trent jumped right into it. "Look, man, I need your help. I know you and Hunter are near where I am on your Motocross Tour and I need your help. Lock onto my position with your Thunder Morphers and get here as quick as you can. It's Ranger stuff. Please. If Tori's with you, bring her too."

Blake was obviously confused but his answer was affirmative. "Tori stayed home this tour so Hunter came in her place and he's locking in on you right now…you're only like five minutes away, dude! What are you doing in Ocean Bluff? Never mind, we'll be right there."

Trent snapped the phone closed. "They're on their way. Kira, please, you can still sit this one out." The yellow Ranger glared at him and shook her head. He sighed but knew that there was no arguing with her. Right then, the four Rangers reached the plaza and stopped, staring at the four people standing opposite them.

"Hello, Lily. Excited to see me again?" Casey2 taunted.

"Where is the real Casey?" Lily cried.

"You will never find him. You will never find any of them." the copy of Dominic flashed Lily an evil smile.

"Enough of this. Let's just go ahead and kick your butts." Connor stepped forward. He glanced back at the others. "You guys ready for this?"

Trent and Kira stepped up and nodded. As one, Connor, Trent and Kira cried, "Dino Thunder, Power Up, Ha!" And there stood the White Drago Ranger and the Yellow Ptera Ranger on either side of the Red Tyranno Ranger.

Lily picked up her left foot to step forward but before she could set it back down, she found herself assailed by a very vivid vision.

_A cheetah was wandering through a forest, its head shifting from left to right, looking for something. Lily stared at the cheetah that looked so much like her spirit animal. As she watched, the cheetah began to speak with her voice._

_ "Where is the Rhino that is missing? Where is the Jaguar that is captured? Where is the Wolf that is caged? And where is the Tiger that is wounded?"_

_ Faint howls sounded in the distance and the cheetah began to run in that direction. The great cat bounded over the ground and soon came upon four caged animals. Three looked very weak. The Wolf lay in a cage with his shaggy head lying on his paws. He looked as if he had run a million miles and now was weak. The Jaguar was caged on the Wolf's right, his tail wrapped around his forepaws. He too looked winded. On the left of the Wolf was the incredible bulk of the Rhinoceros. His head twitched every now and then but he too looked spent. And in front of these three was the most pitiful sight of all. In a cage much too small for its size lay the Tiger, covered in blood and deep lacerations. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow and labored._

_ The Wolf raised its head and spoke with RJ's voice. "Thank you, Cheetah, for finding your fellow Spirit Animals. We will forever be in your debt."_

_ The Cheetah reared her head back and growled and that's when Lily snapped out of it._

Connor's hand was on her shoulder. "Lily! Lily, are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded as realization dawned on her. "Connor, I know how to find the others. I have to go – Casey won't last much longer."

Connor shook his head. "No. Wait just a few minutes for Blake and Hunter to show up. Then Hunter can go with you and you won't have to go alone. Please."

Lily debated for a minute and then nodded. Before too long, the sound of motorcycles could be heard. Seconds later, two motorcycles pulled up and stopped. Two tall figures dismounted their bikes and removed their helmets. The one on the left had dirty blonde hair and was wearing a crimson riding jacket. The one on the right had spiked black hair and was sporting a navy riding jacket.

"Hey, Blake, Hunter. Look, we don't have much time. Hunter, we need you to go with Lily to find her fellow Rangers. She'll explain on the way. Blake, we need you to fight with the three of us against those five goons over there." Connor pointed at the copies.

"Ok, sure." the blonde one said and turned to Lily. He held out his hand. "You good to ride on my bike or do you have a faster way to travel?"

"Nope. Let's go." she replied and waited for him to get on his bike before clambering up after him. He revved the engine and they took off. Behind them they could hear as Blake morphed.

"So where to?" Hunter called back to Lily. She thought for a minute and then decided they needed to stop for a minute.

"Stop the bike for a minute!" Lily yelled. Hunter obligingly brought the bike to a stop and Lily hopped off. She stood there for a minute and finally knew what she had to do.

Centering herself, she paused and then cried, "Spirit of the Cheetah! Find your friends!" Suddenly, in front of her appeared her Spirit Cheetah. Lily looked at it and whispered, "Show us the way to the missing Rhino. Show us the way to the captured Jaguar and the caged Wolf. Help me find my injured Tiger."

The Cheetah dipped its head, turned and raced off. Lily jumped back onto the bike and hollered to Hunter, "Follow that cat!"

The motorcycle roared off after the running cheetah…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Casey was still screaming. He felt as if he were being turned inside out. Pain blazed in every inch of his body. There was no relief anywhere in the world for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the plaza, three Dino Rangers and the Navy Thunder Ranger were battling it out with the Jungle Fury Rangers copies.

The copy of Dominic had all of his Rhino strength and was bashing again and again at Connor, who had gone straight to Super Dino Mode. Connor slashed at his assailant but the copy nimbly skipped out of the way.

RJ's evil clone was duking it out with Trent. Trent was finding himself hard-pressed to match strengths with the copy who was filled with the Wolf Spirit.

Kira and Blake were fighting together against Casey's copy and Theo's. The Jaguar against the Pterodactyl. The Tiger against the Thunder Ninja.

All the real Rangers were fighting to give Lily and Hunter time to find the other Jungle Fury Rangers. That was the one thing they were hoping for.


	10. Found

Hunter and Lily roared through the forest, following the cheetah that was dodging through the undergrowth and the brush. Neither one spoke – the motorcycle was too loud. Suddenly, the cheetah disappeared from view.

Hunter stopped the cycle and looked around at Lily. "Where'd it go?" he asked.

"I don't know. Let's leave the bike here and go see." Lily began pushing her way through the trees. Hunter kept pace with her easily and started talking while they walked.

"So you guys are the newest Ranger team, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah. I didn't even know there were other Ranger teams, actually. What team are you from, anyway?" Lily replied.

"We're the Ninja Storm Rangers. Blake and I are the Thunder Rangers. We were Rangers probably six years ago. We worked with the Dino Thunder Rangers a year after that. They kinda helped us out of a tough spot and we owe them." Hunter pushed a tree branch out of his way.

Lily slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "So you're like, what, 25? Twenty-four? You don't look that old."

"Yeah, actually twenty-six. I age well."

Lily laughed. "After this we're going to be in your debt for a long time." Lily snagged a limb and pushed it back out of her way and found herself on the rim surrounding a shallow valley. In the valley was a small stone structure. Lily's cheetah was circling the building and when Lily and Hunter appeared at the rim, it looked up at them and growled.

"I bet they're in there!" Lily exclaimed and raced down the slight incline to the structure, Hunter right behind her. "Dom! Theo! RJ! Casey!" she cried as she got closer.

Voices answered her soon from inside. "Lily!" RJ's voice yelled.

Lily ran up to the door to the structure and yanked on the handle. "RJ! RJ, I can't get it open!"

RJ replied in an extremely calm voice, "Use your Cheetah Spirit, Lily."

Lily looked at her cheetah and called, "Spirit of the Cheetah!" She made a sweeping gesture towards the building and her cheetah rushed the door, lowering its head and bashing the door down. Then the Cheetah danced backwards, its tail thrashing wildly about its legs.

Lily held her breath as three young men emerged from the building, blinking in the sudden sunlight. Dominic was the first out and Theo was right behind him. RJ was last to step out of the building and Lily was nearly jumping for joy by this time, expecting Casey to stumble out next. But no Casey.

"Where's Casey?" she asked, suddenly worried.

Dom gave her a hug. "He's not here. We don't know where he is."

Lily looked at him. "Well, where could he be?"

RJ turned to her. "How did you find us? Perhaps that will help us locate Casey."

"My Cheetah tracked down your Animal Spirits. It led me here." Lily explained. Noticing Theo's strange looks at Hunter, she introduced him. "This is Hunter. He's a Thunder Ranger. RJ called in some of the Dino Thunder Rangers to help and Trent called in Hunter and Blake. Blake, Trent, Connor and Kira are fighting copies of you guys right now, copies that have your Animal Spirits."

Theo sighed. "There's nothing we can do about that now, though. We aren't strong enough to get back our Animal Spirits. We have to find Casey."

RJ shook his head. "No. We must go to the aid of these other Rangers. We may not have our Animal Spirits at their full power, but we can still provide assistance. Lily is the only one who can find Casey. Lily, send your Cheetah to find Casey. Once you find him, meet us at the battle."

Lily nodded and turned to her Cheetah. "Spirit of the Cheetah! Show me the way to the wounded Tiger." The Cheetah simply looked at her, worry and pain in its eyes.

Turning back to her mentor, Lily asked RJ, "Why won't it go? Last time it took off in pursuit of your Animal Spirits…why won't it go after its leader?"

RJ's face was grave. "The only reason it would not search out Casey's Tiger Spirit would be if Casey's Tiger Spirit no longer resided in him. Our Spirits were not fully taken from us but his may have been ripped entirely from his body. If that is the case, then only one who truly cares for Casey deep down will be able to find him. Only one with true feelings for him will be able to convince their Spirit Animal to find him."

Dominic stepped forward, determination on his face. "I respect Casey as a leader. Surely my Rhino can find him." He scrunched up his face in determination and yelled, with the last vestiges of his strength, "Spirit of the Rhino!"

A vast Rhino appeared in front of them, horn parallel to the ground as it looked at Dominic. Dominic stepped up to it. "Find the wounded Tiger, friend."

The Rhino dropped its snout to the ground and stood there for a moment before vanishing once again. Dominic's shoulders sagged.

Theo stepped up. "Casey is my true friend. My Jaguar will be able to find him." He paused and then cried, "Spirit of the Jaguar!" The great cat materialized before them and stood panting, looking at Theo.

Reaching toward his Spirit Animal, Theo pleaded, "Jaguar, find your leader, the Tiger." The Jaguar sniffed the air a few times before its ears drooped. It mewed once and then faded away, a look of guilt on its features.

Lily looked at RJ. "Surely your wolf could find him, right, RJ? He's your student."

RJ shook his head. "I don't think so, Lily. If Dom's Rhino and Theo's Jaguar couldn't find him, their feelings weren't strong enough. Perhaps you should try."

Lily's Cheetah was still standing there, awaiting further instruction. Lily walked over to it and rested her forehead on its back. "Please, Cheetah, please…find the one I care about. Casey is like my little brother. I would do anything to protect him. Please, help me to find him before it is too late. Please…" As she spoke little trickles of red energy began to flood from her to her Cheetah. Suddenly, the Cheetah perked up its ears and cocked its head.

"See? Your feelings of protectiveness for Casey have bonded you to him. Your Cheetah Spirit can use your bond to find Casey. Now go and rescue the Tiger Ranger." RJ waved a hand.

Lily turned to Hunter. Impulsively, she grabbed his hand. "Coming with me?" she asked.

"Wouldn't let you go alone," he responded. They ran to the bike as the other three Rangers ran off into the woods.

As Hunter and Lily sped off after the Cheetah, Lily wrapped her arms around the Crimson Ranger's body and whispered, "I'm coming for you, Casey. Hold on…I'm coming."

Casey didn't know how much longer he had but with the pain he was feeling, he was measuring his life in minutes. He hung there, blood freely gushing from all parts of his body, feeling shredded by pain and the only thing he could think about was his team. He could only hope that they would be ok after he was gone. He watched the screen as the Rangers he didn't know battled the evil copies of himself. Then, suddenly, so suddenly it must have been imagined, he thought he saw a Cheetah in the air in front of him. And he thought he heard it say, in Lily's voice, "I'm coming for you, Casey. Hold on…I'm coming."


	11. Rescued

Trent leapt over RJ2's heads and struck downward with his Drago Sword. RJ's clone ducked easily out of the way. Trent landed behind RJ2 and spun, his left arm flying forward to land a karate chop on RJ2's side.

Suddenly, RJ2 jerked back. He looked past Blake for a moment and then he yelled, "Spirit of the Wolf!"

To Trent's surprise, a giant, shaggy wolf appeared in front of him. With a plaintive howl, the Wolf lashed out at Trent and the White Drago Ranger felt himself being battered to the ground. The Wolf continued to strike, his howls growing louder and louder and Trent's morphing suit flickered and died, leaving the teen kneeling on the ground in his blue jeans and white shirt. The Wolf backed off a pace but the evil RJ waved his hand forward. With a sad shake of its mighty head, the Wolf slinked towards Trent, moving in for the kill.

Meanwhile, Blake was landing blow after blow on Casey2. The evil Red Ranger seemed to have endless reserves of energy. Blake swung his Thunder staff in a side slash that the evil Casey easily blocked. Abruptly, just as RJ2 had done, Casey2 stopped and looked past Blake for maybe two seconds before jerking his attention back to the fight.

Stepping back, Casey2 screamed, "Spirit of the Tiger!" The giant red cat appeared in front of Casey2. With a pitiful growl, the cat swiped at Blake, driving the Thunder Ranger to the ground. Blake's body protested at the pain the Tiger unwillingly inflicted and his morphing suit also faded. The Tiger stood over him and Blake waited for it to kill him.

A saddened Jaguar was crouched over Kira and a bellowing Rhino loomed over Connor. The Spirit Animals were being forced to do the evil of the Ranger copies…and they weren't happy at all.

It was to this scene that RJ, Dom and Theo ran into. They saw at once four unmorphed Rangers kneeling or lying prone on the ground. They saw that Spirit Animals stood poised over all of them. And they knew they had to act fast.

Dominic jumped over Connor and crouched in front of him, before his Rhino Spirit. "Don't do this, Rhino. Be true to yourself. I know you won't attack me." Dominic held his hands out towards his Spirit Animal. The Rhino jerked its head back and forth, looking at Dom and Dom's clone. It took a step towards Dom, then a step back. Finally, it bellowed and sank to its belly. Dominic smiled and before the evil clone had time to react, he was shoving his hand against the clone's chest. Dominic grinned as his Rhino Spirit returned to him.

RJ stepped in front of Trent and held up his hands as his Wolf's muzzle stopped only an inch from his face. "Wolf, man, it's me. I know you won't hurt me, pal." RJ waited as the Wolf stared at him. The Wolf suddenly tossed his head back and howled. It, too, dropped to its belly and rolled over on his back. RJ jumped high, over his Spirit Animal and, before the evil RJ knew what was happening to him, RJ slapped his palms against the clone's chest and sucked his Wolf Spirit back from the clone and into himself.

Theo had run straight to Kira's side, staring at his Jaguar. The Jaguar bared its teeth but Theo could tell by its gaze that it wasn't happy with what it was being asked to do. Theo spoke calmly, "Jaguar, stand down. You don't want to hurt me or this girl." The Jaguar whipped his tail forward and backwards, tossing his head and turning in a circle to look at evil Theo and real Theo. Then the Jaguar dropped to its haunches and looked gleefully at Theo. Before the evil clone knew what was happening, Theo bounded over to him, slammed his fists against the clone's chest and recovered his Jaguar Spirit.

But there was still one more Spirit Animal being forced to do evil deeds. The Red Tiger still crouched over Blake. Blake's arms were up, his hands balled into fists, ready to protect himself. Unfortunately, there was only one person who could stop the Tiger's attack now. Only one person could talk some sense into the Red Tiger. If only Lily would find him and get him back in time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Five Minutes Earlier XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily and Hunter could see another stone structure in the distance. Lily knew they were getting close to Dai Shi's temple. She could also see that her Cheetah was once again circling a building.

Putting her mouth close to Hunter's ear, his blonde hair whipping against her face, she said, "I think the Cheetah's found him! Hurry, please, Hunter!"

Hunter nodded and kicked the bike to a new gear. Moments later, he brought the bike to a skidding stop in front of the building.

Lily's Cheetah was growling, her teeth bared and her tail whipping about her paws. Seeing her Spirit Animal so tense and agitated gave Lily a bad feeling about this place. Turning to Hunter, she asked him, "Would you Ranger up, please? Just to be safe?"

Hunter nodded and a second later, the Crimson Thunder Ranger stood in his place. Reaching up, Hunter unclasped his helmet and took it off. He laid it down on the seat of his bike. "Thing keeps giving me a headache." he joked. He was ready for action, though, if that was what they found.

The Cheetah walked up to the wooden door and began nosing at the door. Lily had a feeling in her gut that Casey was going to need all the help he could get. She ran up to the door but it, too, was locked. A hand touched her back and she whirled around to see Hunter standing there, a red gun in his hand and a smirk on his face. Lily backed out of the way and Hunter aimed his gun at the door, firing rapid bursts of energy that quickly melted the wood around the lock and soon the lock was blasted off completely. Hunter lowered his gun and Lily pushed open the door and stepped inside. What she saw, at first she didn't believe.

A figure hung on the far wall, his arms raised over his head and suspended from chains attached to the ceiling. His ankles were chained to the wall. The figure was so still, Lily and Hunter weren't even sure he was breathing. Lily walked closer, horror slowly overtaking her disbelief.

"Casey?" she whispered.

Slowly, the figure on the wall, began to move. His head rolled first to the left and then dropped back down on his chest. Then his head rolled to the right and finally was upright. Lily felt tears creep down her cheeks as she got close enough to take in Casey's appearance. His face was swollen with giant blue and black bruises covering most of his face. A gash ran from his temple down to his chin. His brown hair was sweaty and plastered close to his head. Lily's eyes traveled downward and her mouth fell open as she saw that his face wasn't the worst of his injuries. His chest was bare and Lily gasped when she saw the wounds crisscrossing his chest and the blood caking his ripped and torn blue jeans.

Casey's eyes widened a fraction of an inch when he saw Lily standing in the room. When he spoke, his voice was dry and cracked. His chest was heaving with each breath that he took. "Lily?" was all he could croak out.

Lily rushed over to him and cringed at what she saw – the wounds were even more devastating-looking up close. "I'm here, Casey. I'm going to get you out of here."

Casey tried to smile but another wave of pain swept through him and he screamed. Lily jumped backwards and looked around for the source of his pain.

"What is it? What is it, Casey?" Lily cried. Hunter had his blaster tracking across the room, sweeping for hidden dangers.

"Noth…ing. I just…I'm dying…without any of…my Tiger Spirit." Casey wheezed, his face contorted in an expression of pain. "Help…me…get him…back."

Lily nodded. She reached up to touch Casey's face but jerked her hand back at the last minute, afraid to touch him. Turning to Hunter, she asked, "Can you get him down from those chains?"

Hunter's eyes were sad. He handed Lily his blaster. "Blast the chains over his head. I'll catch him."

"Won't that hurt him?" Lily asked, taking the Crimson Blaster from Hunter.

"He's already hurting. If we don't get his Tiger back for him, he's going to die apparently. We have to chance it. Just wait till I give you the word." Hunter positioned himself under Casey. "Ok, go. Make sure you aim high."

Lily gripped the gun in two hands and aimed at the chains holding Casey to the ceiling. She squinted and fired, sending two bolts of crimson energy into the chains. They snapped and Casey dropped, eliciting another scream of pain from the Tiger Ranger, though that might have been from the sudden release of his arms or another wave of pain from the loss of his Tiger Ranger. As he fell, Hunter caught him. Now only his legs were shackled to the wall.

"Quick, Lily, shoot the cuffs where they screw into the wall. We gotta hurry." Hunter held Casey away from his body, trying to keep Casey's wounds from rubbing against him.

Lily aimed even more carefully this time and shot the shackles where they met the wall. Casey's head lolled against Hunter's shoulder.

Once his legs were free, Casey struggled to lift up his head and smile at Lily. "Thank you…now…please…get me…to my…Tiger."

Hunter started walking towards the door and Lily followed behind him. "We'll get you there, Casey, don't worry. I'm not going to let you die."

Casey's smile slid off his face and his eyes closed. His breathing was becoming more and more labored and his arms were shaking.

Lily grabbed Hunter's arm. "We gotta get him to the plaza as fast as we can."

Hunter grinned at her. "That's what I'm planning on."

**Author's Note: I know I took major liberties with the Animal Spirits but what's a fanfiction without a little embellishment? Please, read and review!!!**


	12. Friendly Fire

Dominic wasn't going to let Blake get killed by his friend's spirit animal. Leaving his Rhino, he ran over to the Navy Thunder Ranger and inserted himself between the Tiger and the prone Ranger.

"Back off, Tiger." he said. The Tiger growled and looked pleadingly at the Casey copy. The Casey copy just grinned sadistically and shook his head.

"No, Tiger. You belong to me now and I order you to kill that Power Ranger. Now." the Casey copy stabbed a finger at Blake.

The Tiger lowered its head and stepped closer to Blake but before it could reach him, it found itself faced with its friends. The Wolf leapt over the Tiger to stand between it and Blake. The Jaguar bounded in front of Dominic and stood looking at the Tiger. The Rhino lumbered over to Dominic and hovered at his shoulder, ready to protect his Ranger and Blake.

RJ, Theo, Connor, Kira and Trent stepped up beside Dominic. Dominic looked at RJ. "Are we going to have to fight Casey's Tiger?"

RJ looked glum. "To keep him from attacking Blake, we have to do what we must."

The Tiger cast one more glance at Casey2 but all it got in response was a sharp nod. Turning back to face his fellow Animal Spirits, the tiger hesitated and then pounced. The Jaguar was the first to engage the Tiger with a yowl. And then it erupted into an all-out furball as the Wolf and Rhino leapt to battle with their friend to defend their Rangers.

But the Rangers were having problems of their own. Blake had gotten to his feet and they now found themselves set upon by the evil copies. Connor and RJ were duking it out with RJ's copy. Blake and Theo faced off with Theo's copy. Kira and Dominic were fighting Casey2 while Trent launched himself at Dominic's evil clone.

The Tiger swiped a big paw at the Jaguar and sent it stumbling back. At the same time, Theo doubled over, clutching his gut and staggered away from Theo2 while Blake covered for him and engaged their adversary. Now it was the Rhino's chance. It lowered its horn and charged forward. The Tiger leapt nimbly aside and smacked the backside of his paw into the side of the Rhino's skull. The Rhino fell sideways, shaking its head and bellowing. Simultaneously, Dominic clutched the sides of his head and fell back while Kira employed a vicious Ptera Scream to keep Casey's copy busy. Then the Wolf trotted closer to the Tiger and, with a speed so quick the Tiger didn't have time to avoid it, snaked his head out and bit the Tiger on the neck. The Tiger growled and dropped back a pace, circling the Wolf.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hunter was in the front on the motorcycle. Casey sat with his back to Hunter's back and facing Lily. He was unconscious so it came as a surprise to both Hunter and Lily when he suddenly jerked his head up, slapped his hands to his neck and screamed.

"Casey! Casey, what's going on?!" Lily yelled, panic lacing her tone.

Casey's scream tapered off but his fingers were twisted into claws, digging into his flesh as if he were trying to peel his skin off. Lily reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling them to her and holding them in her own hands. Casey's eyes were rolling wildly and finally they settled on Lily. They were filled with pain and desperation.

"My…Tiger's being…hurt…I have…to get…to him!!" Casey wailed.

Lily yelled at Hunter, "How much further?!"

But her answer came as they rounded the next corner and she took in the scene in front of her. She saw Connor and RJ circling another RJ. She could see Kira and Dominic fighting hand to hand with Casey's clone. She saw Blake and Theo fighting with Theo's evil clone. And she saw Trent locked in combat with Dominic's clone. But the sight that caused her jaw to drop were the animals fighting tooth and claw. Lily's Cheetah came dashing past the motorcycle and leapt into the fray, jumping in front of Theo's Jaguar as Casey's Tiger bit at the blue cat.

A shout came from Dominic as he caught sight of Lily, Hunter and Casey. "They're here!"

Hunter braked and the bike screeched to a stop. Hunter swung his leg over the bike seat and stood next to Casey on the right. Lily jumped off as well, and helped Casey off the bike. She draped one arm over her shoulder and Hunter draped one arm over his shoulder. Casey was still trying to get his hands to his neck and Lily clasped the hand on her shoulder in her hand while Hunter did the same. Lily and Hunter began to jog towards the combatants, Casey suspended between them. About this time, Casey2 realized the real Casey was coming towards them and back flipped away from Kira and Dominic to land racing towards Hunter, Lily and Casey.

"Your Tiger Spirit is mine, fool!" Casey2 yelled as he ran, Dominic and Kira right on his heels. As he ran closer, the real Casey turned and grabbed onto Hunter's collar. The Crimson Ranger had demorphed after they found Casey.

"Get me to my Tiger Spirit please." he pleaded. Hunter nodded.

Kira somersaulted over Casey2's head and snapped a kick into his chest. Dominic came up from behind him and grabbed him in a choke-hold.

Casey pulled his feet off the ground and Lily and Hunter dodged around the three battling teenagers and on towards the Spirit Animals. Finally, they were close enough to where they could almost touch them.

"Tiger! Tiger, listen to me!" Casey cried, setting his feet back on the ground. The Tiger paid him no attention. "Tiger! Tiger, it's me, it's Casey."

The Tiger still didn't acknowledge Casey. Lily looked at Casey and then at her Cheetah. _This is going to hurt him but…I don't see another way._ "Cheetah!" she cried, "Get the Tiger's attention!"

The Cheetah circled around behind the Tiger and then, with a quick snap of its mighty jaw, clamped its teeth on the Tiger's ear, pulling the Tiger's head around to face Casey.

Casey screamed and grabbed his ear but Lily pulled his hand away. "Now!" she yelled at him, "Now is the time to get your Spirit Animal back!"

His screaming stopped long enough for Casey to get a few sentences out. "Tiger, your friends are trying to help you. _I_ need your help. If you don't come back to me, I'm going to die. And I know you don't want that. Please, friend. Please, come back to me."

The Tiger growled and switched its tail angrily. It looked at Casey for a long moment and then reached down and licked Casey's face. Casey winced in pain but patted his Spirit Animal on the nose. "Thanks, buddy." he said.

Turning to Lily, he told her, "I still need my Tiger spirit back. The…pain…is intensifying. I'm…going to…die any…minute now."

Dominic's voice came from behind them. "Not a problem. Here's the creep who took your Tiger Spirit, Casey."

Lily and Hunter turned Casey around to see a kicking Casey2 suspended between Dominic and Kira, each of his arms held in a vice grip.

Smiling vindictively, Casey reached out and grabbed two big fistfuls of the clone's shirt. Then, gasping as his power flooded back to him, he took back that which had been stolen from him.

Casey2 struggled and once Casey had all his Tiger Spirit back, Dom and Kira let him go. He dashed across the plaza to join the other clones.

"We can defeat you without your Animal Spirits!" RJ2 called.

Lily looked at Casey. "You're going to have to sit this one out, Casey. I don't care if you have your Spirit back, you're in no condition to fight. We got this."

Casey nodded gratefully and sighed when Hunter lowered him to the ground next to a building. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The Rangers lined up, facing their enemies. Connor stepped forward. "Ready, guys?" he cried again.

Kira and Trent stepped up next to him. "Dino Thunder, Power up, Ha!" they cried with Connor.

Blake and Hunter were the next to step out. "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form, ha!"

Then it was the Jungle Fury Rangers who joined the line. "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

"Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger! Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger! Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger! Jungle Fury Blue Ranger! Crimson Thunder Ranger! Navy Thunder Ranger! Tyranno Ranger! Drago Ranger! Ptera Ranger!"

The Rangers, three teams of Rangers, were ready to fight as one against a common enemy.

**Author's Note: I think there's just one more chapter left in this one, guys…but then I'm going to be starting a new Power Ranger fanfic called ****Bound****. So if you liked this one, you should totally check it out. I will also be working on ****For All Intents and Purposes**** again so check that one out too! Thanks guys and please, remember: Don't drink and drive…nah, I mean, please read and review!!**


	13. A Whole New Ballgame

The battle was short. Connor's Tyranno Staff and RJ's Wolf Spirit quickly shredded RJ's evil copy. Blake's Thunder Staff and Theo's Jaguar Spirit destroyed Theo2 with great haste. Kira's Ptera Scream and Dominic's Rhino Spirit made short work of Dominic's evil clone. Trent's Drago Sword and Lily's Cheetah Spirit finished off Casey2 very quickly. Hunter stood over Casey, protecting the Red Ranger in case anything were to try and finish him off.

Once all the evil copies were gone, the Rangers converged in a happy group. There was lots of backslapping and congratulations. One by one, they demorphed. Lily ran over to Casey and looked down at him. His breathing was still pretty shallow and he still looked like a victim from a horror movie with cuts and wounds running all down his exposed torso and what bits of his legs Lily could see through his torn jeans.

"What happened to him?" Dominic asked as he walked over to stand next to Lily. Lily turned to look at the young man and was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"I don't know. When we found him he was chained to the wall and actually looked worse than this. I think that was because he didn't have his Tiger Spirit. Now I hope he's going to make it."

Dominic wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulder. "He's strong. He'll be fine."

Blake and Hunter came over then and the two strong young men picked Casey up in a fireman's carry and, taking turns with RJ, Dominic and Theo, they carried Casey back to JKP. When they got there, they took the young man directly to the loft.

Fran met them there and gasped when she saw Casey caked in blood. "Shouldn't you take him to the hospital?"

RJ nodded. "Probably wouldn't hurt. Let's get him to the emergency room."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Two hours Later XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The doctors were puzzled about what had happened to Casey. All RJ would tell them was that he had gotten into a fight. They were also confused as to why his injuries seemed to be healing almost by themselves. RJ couldn't exactly tell him that the young man was being refueled and healed by his Tiger Spirit. That might would have gotten Casey, RJ and Dominic kicked out of the hospital.

So, two hours after they'd arrived, Casey was released from the hospital. He was swaddled in bandages and covered in numbing salve.

The three were on the way back to JKP when Dominic got a frantic call on his morpher. "Dominic, come in! Dominic, where are you?" Theo's voice was panicked.

Dominic answered the call. "What's up, Theo?"

Theo took a couple of deep breaths and then said, "Meet us at the mall. We may have the most trouble we've ever seen on our hands."

RJ whipped the JKP pizza car into a U-turn and sped back the way they'd come. Casey came out of his drug-induced stupor and asked sleepily, "What's going on?"

Dominic was holding onto the dash for dear life. Turning and glancing at Casey, he said, "No clue."

When they got to the mall, they were surprised to see the parking lot relatively empty. The only ones in the lot were Hunter, Blake, Connor, Theo and Trent. The Dino Thunder and Ninja Storm Rangers had agreed to hang around till Casey got out of the hospital. Now there was some new action going on and these guys were right in the thick of it.

RJ and Dominic leapt from the car. Casey stayed put, his legs not strong enough to hold him up yet. RJ called as he ran towards the Rangers, "What's up?"

Hunter's face was a mask of anger. "They took Lily."

Trent's expression was just as angry. "And Kira."

"Who took Lily? And Kira?" Dominic asked heatedly as he slid to a stop next to the other Rangers.

But it wasn't Hunter that answered. "I did. And they're not the only ones I took." Dai Shi's Overlord stepped from the shadows near Macy's and cackled wildly. Motioning with one hand, he smiled at the Rangers.

From behind him came several monsters, more than several, twenty or thirty. And each was holding a struggling young woman.

In the center was Lily and next to her was Kira. Both girls were struggling furiously but their captors weren't giving an inch.

Blake swore when he saw one of the captives. "Tori!" he cried upon seeing the blue Wind Ranger in the grasp of the enemy.

The Overlord sneered, "I have captured all the female Rangers both on this world and on other planets. You will never get them back and if you try, I will destroy the one that means the most to you. So I would advise you not to make any attempts to get them back."

He snapped his fingers and he, his monsters and their captives disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Blake jumped forward as if to follow them but they were gone.

Hunter turned to RJ. "How do we get them back?"

RJ started back towards the pizza car. "First we contact all the other Rangers and find out who exactly has been captured. Then we get together and form a plan. Let's go."

**Author's Note: And that is it for ****Sacrifice****! Casey's sacrifice for his friends wasn't for naught and now Dai Shi's Overlord appears to be waging his own war. Follow this story's conclusion in my new story, ****Bound!**


End file.
